By Brian Campued
Malacañang on Tuesday assured the public that relevant agencies are working to ensure a swift and coordinated response to the persistent heavy rains, which resulted in widespread flooding in different parts of the country, especially in Metro Manila.
According to Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains focused on monitoring the situation to ensure a whole-of-government approach in addressing flooding.
“Patuloy na naka-monitor ang Pangulo upang mabantayan ang seguridad ng mga residente sa mga apektadong lugar. Utos ng Pangulo sa lahat ng ahensiya na i-prayoridad ang kaligtasan ng mga residente at siguruhing maaabot ng tulong ang mga nasalanta ng baha,” Usec. Castro said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
She added that the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) activated its response cluster member agencies to assist affected local government units and residents, while relief, clearing, and medical operations continue in affected areas.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also noted its continuous relief efforts since the southwest monsoon (habagat) season began and were enhanced by recent tropical cyclones.
According to DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian, as of 6:00 a.m. on Aug. 18, there are a total of 1,539,614 families or about 5,394,342 individuals that were affected by the severe weather across 4,516 barangays nationwide.
Of these, 12,194 families or 42,203 persons are taking shelter inside 461 evacuation centers, while 11,554 families or 43,414 individuals are being assisted outside the evacuation centers.
Sec. Gatchalian said the DSWD has so far released a total of 1,057,972 boxes of family food packs (FFPs), along with 17,291 ready-to-eat food (RTEF), 163 other food items, and 12,740 non-food items (NFIs).
The agency has also extended over P717 million in humanitarian aid to families affected by continuous monsoon rains and weather disturbances, with more than P833 million remaining as standby funds.
More than 4.2 million family food packs are likewise prepositioned across its regional hubs and resource centers.
“Patuloy pa rin po ang ating relief operations, actually hindi naman po tayo tumigil mula nang nagsimula yung habagat, then nagkaroon ng Bagyong Luis, then more habagat and then Bagyong Maymay, and then the enhanced habagat. So, we’re treating it as a continuous relief operation, ongoing concern siya,” Gatchalian said.
“To assure everybody, production plants are running in full-scale, so hindi yan bababa nang lubhang malaki… Hindi dapat mag-alala ang ating mga kababayan. May sapat na pagkain na nakaimbak sa mga bodega ng DSWD nationwide,” the DSWD chief added.
-jpv
